Parental Educational Involvement and Latino Children’s Academic Attainment

Adolescent Academic Socialization: A Within-Group Comparative Analysis Among Mexican-Origin Families

“…Employing the triarchic model (Okagaki, 2001), and the ecocultural family theory (Weisner, 2002), this study sought to understand the ways parents are involved in multiple facets of their adolescents’ academics and the meaning that adolescents make of these behaviors and values. This is important because Latinos may differ in the reasons and ways in which they are involved in the academics of their adolescents which could, in turn, be linked to the effectiveness of these behaviors (Ceballo et al, 2017; Pomerantz et al, 2007). Parental academic involvement was important to examine among adolescents, given this unique developmental period is marked by gains in complex thinking (e.g., academics as means to morally give back to family) as well as autonomy and identity development.…”

“…Given the need for autonomy coupled with the cognitive abilities of adolescents, more complex discussions regarding academics and their purpose may become salient during this period of development. Even though parents may shift their academic socialization strategies when their children enter high school, both school and home academic involvement are still effective (Ceballo et al, 2017). In fact, a study with Mexican American students found that the link between parents’ school involvement and adolescents’ GPA was stronger for parents of high school students than middle school adolescents (Kuperminc, Darnell, & Alvarez-Jimenez, 2008).…”

“…The adolescents’ current achievement level likely also plays a role in whether, when, and how parents choose to become involved in their adolescents’ academic goals and activities, and how adolescents perceive and respond to their parents’ behaviors (Pomerantz et al, 2007). To better understand these nuances, we examined how families of Mexican-origin adolescents that systemically vary in their achievement level use daily academic activities in three previously examined domains: at school , at home , and through the promotion of “ academic aspirations ” (Ceballo et al, 2017; Hill & Tyson, 2009). In addition, we analyze adolescent reports of their own academic values and practices, which allowed us not only to compare parental behaviors but also to understand how adolescents internalize parents’ academic involvement.…”

“…Parental academic involvement, generally defined, is associated with the academic achievement of adolescents (Hill & Tyson, 2009), and this is also true for Latino students across development (Ceballo, Jocson, & Alers-Rojas, 2017). However, the specific ways in which parents attempt to socialize academically, as well as the specific needs of the child, may change the effectiveness of these behaviors (Pomerantz, Moorman, & Litwack, 2007).…”

“…For example, a study employing a national dataset found that parental interactions with schools were most beneficial for adolescents with low grades, but, assistance with selecting courses was more useful for adolescents with high grades (Benner, Boyle, & Sadler, 2016). Such nuances may be important to inform recommendations that bolster parental academic involvement, particularly for Latino parents who may not have attended college or been educated in American school systems (Ceballo et al, 2017). Some research with Latino families also finds parental behaviors not typically included in traditional quantitative measures of academic involvement such as exposing children to the difficulties of manual labor as a way to encourage them toward academics (Lopez, Scribner, & Mahitivanichcha, 2001).…”